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Auto alternatives for the 21st centuryFri, 09 Dec 2016 20:46:09 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.4Shell May Offer EV Charging at its Stations by 2017http://www.hybridcars.com/shell-may-offer-ev-charging-at-its-stations-by-2017/
http://www.hybridcars.com/shell-may-offer-ev-charging-at-its-stations-by-2017/#commentsWed, 14 Sep 2016 04:33:51 +0000http://www.hybridcars.com/?p=490690Could we soon see EV chargers next to gas pumps at our local filling stations? According to emails exchanged by Shell and the British government, there’s a chance that could happen in the UK next year. The emails came to light as part of a Freedom of Information request by a blog that keeps an […]

]]>Could we soon see EV chargers next to gas pumps at our local filling stations?

According to emails exchanged by Shell and the British government, there’s a chance that could happen in the UK next year.

The emails came to light as part of a Freedom of Information request by a blog that keeps an eye of lobbying done by fossil-fuel companies. The website, called DeSmogBlog, found that Shell was asking the British government how serious it was when it came to the topic of roads that charge electric cars wirelessly, in addition to showing that the oil company is considering installing EV charge points at its gas stations in the UK.

Shell has previously backed biofuels as an alternative to gas or diesel, so a foray into EV charging tech appears to be a new initiative for the company. Hydrogen fuels were also discussed in the emails.

“You will know more of the challenges around electric cars than me but the availability of fast-charging infrastructure, and how that links to range anxiety, is probably up there with one of the main issues concerning customers,” a Shell staffer wrote in one email to the government. “As a sample of one, I do not have access to off-road parking so buying an EV myself is not currently viable.”

Another Shell employee inquired about government regulations regarding EV charging. “I have been asked whether Shell will need an electricity supply license if we are to provide a service to customers to charge their electric cars.”

When The Guardian asked Shell if this meant the company intends to install charge points at its stations, a spokesperson said this: “We are examining the potential to introduce electric vehicle charging points across some parts of our UK retail network from early 2017 onwards.”

There are already about 12,000 EV charge points in the UK, provided by companies like Tesla and Chargemaster.

Chargemaster CEO Dave Martell, doesn’t seem phased by the prospect of more competition for his company, which owns more than 4,000 of the chargers in the UK.

“I think it’s great. They see the tide moving toward electric cars and they want a piece of the action. They’d be crazy not to, wouldn’t they? We are in discussion with a number of fuel companies. We fully expect the first charging points to be put in in the next year [by fuel companies].” Martell told The Guardian.

There are about 20,000 pure EVs on UK roads as of the end of 2015, but that’s a small fraction of the 2.6 million cars sold in the UK in 2015.

ExxonMobil’s communications with the UK government were also revealed by the request, and that company took a different stance than Shell. ExxonMobil told the government that instead of focusing on policies to encourage EV growth, it should work to cut carbon emissions from power stations. It further argued that doing so would cost the government less money.

“Switching from petroleum to renewable or alternative fuels [i.e. EVs] is not the most cost effective way to reduce GHG emissions; actions in other sectors (e.g. power generation) typically cost less per ton of CO2 avoided,” the company said in a presentation, adding “liquid petroleum fuels will remain the primary transportation fuels in the foreseeeable future.”

DeSmogBlog found all this by submitting Freedom of Information requests to the UK Department of Transport in order to find out how oil companies were lobbying the government on the topic of EVs.

]]>http://www.hybridcars.com/shell-may-offer-ev-charging-at-its-stations-by-2017/feed/0Ultra Energy Efficient Concept Car Shown Off By Shellhttp://www.hybridcars.com/ultra-energy-efficient-concept-car-shown-off-by-shell/
http://www.hybridcars.com/ultra-energy-efficient-concept-car-shown-off-by-shell/#commentsMon, 25 Apr 2016 04:25:31 +0000http://www.hybridcars.com/?p=433041Shell has introduced its ultra energy efficient concept car to the world. Built around Gordon Murray Design’s patented iStream platform, the Shell concept car represents “a radical rethink on the way in which cars are designed, developed and produced,” said Shell. Weighing just 1,212 pounds, the subcompact city car features numerous components that were created […]

]]>Shell has introduced its ultra energy efficient concept car to the world.

Built around Gordon Murray Design’s patented iStream platform, the Shell concept car represents “a radical rethink on the way in which cars are designed, developed and produced,” said Shell. Weighing just 1,212 pounds, the subcompact city car features numerous components that were created using 3D printing to accelerate the construction of the prototype. It also uses recycled carbon fiber for its body and almost the entire car can be recycled at the end of its life.

According to Shell, if the concept car was to ever go into production, it could deliver material reductions in energy use in the automotive market.

In independent testing, the concept car delivered a 34-percent reduction in primary energy use over its entire lifecycle compared to a typical city car available in the United Kingdom. It also uses around half the energy required to build and run than a typical small family car and 69 percent less than that of a typical SUV.

On the U.S. cycle, it averages 89.1 mpg at 45 mph while emitting 28 percent less CO2 emissions than a typical gasoline-powered city car and 32 percent less than a hybrid. You can watch a video to learn more about the Shell concept car below.

“Our car may be small, but it’s packed with potential. We want to accelerate the conversation about how we make road vehicles more energy efficient and less carbon-intensive,” said Dr. Andrew Hepher, vice president of Shell’s lubricant research team. “In the coming weeks and months, we look forward to sharing our research insights from this project with engine designers, car manufacturers, academics and other experts across the automotive sector.”

]]>http://www.hybridcars.com/ultra-energy-efficient-concept-car-shown-off-by-shell/feed/0Former Shell Chair ‘Distressed’ At Slow Progress Over Climate Changehttp://www.hybridcars.com/former-shell-chair-distressed-at-slow-progress-to-address-climate-change/
http://www.hybridcars.com/former-shell-chair-distressed-at-slow-progress-to-address-climate-change/#commentsTue, 16 Jun 2015 04:05:18 +0000http://www.hybridcars.com/?p=309274Though it’s been nearly two decades since some major oil companies began talking about climate change, a former chairman of one such company said he is distressed over how slow global progress has been on the issue. Sir Mark Moody-Stuart – once the chairman of Royal Dutch Shell PLC – spoke about climate change earlier […]

]]>Though it’s been nearly two decades since some major oil companies began talking about climate change, a former chairman of one such company said he is distressed over how slow global progress has been on the issue.

“I find it distressing that 18 years after major oil companies such as Shell and BP acknowledged the threat of climate change and the need for precautionary action, and indeed began to put into place many of the steps needed, the world has made very modest progress in addressing this challenge,” said Moody-Stuart.

“There remain a very wide range of views and a great deal of misunderstanding and even confrontation by those in different parts of society. While there is much convergence in the middle, there are extreme positions taken by some which range from an attitude of ‘it will be alright on the night, no hurry’ to ‘we must immediately stop using all fossil fuels consider any ongoing use is simply morally bankrupt.’ In fact cooperation rather than confrontation is needed across all parts of society.”

Moody-Stuart has a history with Shell that stretches across nearly 40 years.

“After completing a doctorate in geology in 1966 at Cambridge, he worked for Shell starting as an exploration geologist living in Holland, Spain, Oman, Brunei, Australia, Nigeria, Turkey, Malaysia and the UK,” said Moody-Stuart’s bio at Hermes EOS.

He steadily rose in rank through the company before becoming chairman in 1998.

After resigning as Shell’s chair in 2001 (though he remained on the board another four years), Moody-Stuart became the non-executive chairman of mining company Anglo American PLC from 2002 until 2009. He then moved to his current position of chairman at investment firm Hermes EOS.

During his June speech, Moody-Stuart also talked about the mounting fossil fuel divestment movement, which encourages investors to sell stocks and investments connected with coal companies and others in the fossil fuel industry. Following this idea on a more limited basis, said Moody-Stuart, is not “without some rationale.”

“Divestment is an entirely rational market approach if you think that there are better uses for your funds,” he said. “Given the inevitable continued demand for some forms of fossil fuels for some decades to come, divestment of all such holdings is probably not an economically sensible choice for most investors. Selective divestment or portfolio switching certainly is.”

Moody-Stuart said that while he doesn’t think the United Nation’s Climate Change Conference later this year will result in a comprehensive agreement, he does think that many countries will establish their own individual guidelines.

“This is progress and will doubtless be hailed as an agreement, although one can certainly question whether an agglomeration of diverse commitments can really be hailed as a global agreement,” Moody-Stuart said.

Despite an increase in alternative fuels and renewable energy sources, Moody-Stuart said he doesn’t think these competitors will eliminate the oil and gas industry.

“Ali Naimi, the Saudi oil minister said to me some fifteen years ago that he was very relaxed about renewable energy as competition,” Moody-Stuart explained. “He said that technological development would do what it always does – change things, sometimes unexpectedly. He has recently been quoted as saying that one day Saudi will export not oil but solar energy and that he was relaxed about that too.

“Ali Naimi is older and wiser than me, but my attitude is somewhat the same as his. I think I will be dead well before the oil and gas industry, but it is going to be fun.”

]]>http://www.hybridcars.com/former-shell-chair-distressed-at-slow-progress-to-address-climate-change/feed/0Murray, Goto And Shell To Work On City Carhttp://www.hybridcars.com/murray-goto-and-shell-to-work-on-city-car/
http://www.hybridcars.com/murray-goto-and-shell-to-work-on-city-car/#commentsFri, 10 Apr 2015 04:00:22 +0000http://www.hybridcars.com/?p=277762Race and road car designer Professor Gordon Murray, Shell and engine specialist Osamu Goto will work together on a city car. The team will co-engineer Project M, an ultra-compact, efficient car for city use based around the internal combustion engine. The Shell concept is intended to be a simple, practical global city car; drawing together […]

]]>Race and road car designer Professor Gordon Murray, Shell and engine specialist Osamu Goto will work together on a city car.

The team will co-engineer Project M, an ultra-compact, efficient car for city use based around the internal combustion engine.

The Shell concept is intended to be a simple, practical global city car; drawing together the most innovative aspects of light-weight engineering, streamlining, and driveline efficiency. Shell added the vehicle should be in its element whether it is in a city where mass-motoring is a relatively new thing or already a century-old.

The partners declared in a joint press release that this technically intimate co-engineering relationship between the three expert teams means that the development of the lubricants, engine and vehicle will be completely integrated delivering results neither group could achieve by working apart.

As expected, being an oil company, Shell provides the fluids for the car specifically ‘designing’ the motor oil that complements and enhances the overall efficiency of the vehicle. Most people would naturally assume that oil, greases and fuels are simply added at the end of a concept-car build project like this, but Shell aims to show with this car what can be achieved when its products are integrated into the design, right from the start.

“Since working with the Gordon Murray Design team on the T.25 car in 2010, we have given further thought on how to deliver a complete rethink of the car, using as little energy as possible,” said Selda Gunsel, Vice President Lubricants Technology. “We believe this Shell car will demonstrate how efficient a car can be when Shell works in harmony with vehicle and engine makers during design and build, supplying fuels and lubricants technical expertise. Shell is excited to be working with such top calibre partners and invite others to join us for the remaining part of this exciting journey,”

The Project M is being launched at the Americas round of Shell Eco-marathon, a global series which challenges student teams to design, build and test ultra-energy-efficient vehicles. Shell Eco-marathon America is in Detroit this week, held April 9 to 12, 2015.

]]>The six partners in the “H2 Mobility” initiative – Air Liquide, Daimler, Linde, OMV, Shell and Total – have agreed on a specific action plan for the construction of a German hydrogen refueling network for fuel cell powered electric vehicles.

By 2023, the current network of 15 filling stations in Germany’s public hydrogen infrastructure shall be expanded to about 400 H2 filling stations.

As a first step the deployment of 100 hydrogen stations in Germany over the next 4 years is expected. This would ensure a need-related supply for fuel cell powered electric vehicles to be introduced into the market in the next years.

An agreement in principle has been signed by representatives of all the partners involved.

In addition to plans for a nationwide filling station network, the agreement includes the principles for the procurement and distribution of the necessary hydrogen and a request for support to the German Federal Government.

Following the foundation of a joint venture (subject to necessary regulatory approvals), gradual expansion of the national filling station network will start next year. This means that an H2 supply suitable for everyday use shall be created not only for densely populated areas and main traffic arteries, but also for rural areas.

Daimler said the objective is to offer an H2 station at least every 90 kilometers of highway between densely populated areas. According to this plan in metropolitan areas, drivers of fuel cell powered vehicles will have at least 10 hydrogen refueling stations available, starting in 2023.

The “H2 Mobility” initiative expects that a total investment of around €350 million will be required for this future-oriented infrastructure project.

The launch of fuel cell powered production vehicles on the German market has been announced by manufacturers for 2015. In addition to attractive procurement and operating costs for the vehicles, a need-related number of H2 filling stations is one of the major preconditions for market success.

Accordingly the planned “H2 Mobility” joint venture will work closely with the automobile industry.

Daimler also said that fuel cell powered electric vehicles can make a considerable contribution to establishing Germany as the lead market for sustainable mobility solutions and efficient technologies. This is because the great advantage of this drive technology lies in the significant reduction of CO2 emissions.

]]>http://www.hybridcars.com/h2-mobilitys-action-plans-aims-to-create-german-hydrogen-refueling-network/feed/0Audi TDI Crosses US On 66 Gallonshttp://www.hybridcars.com/audi-tdi-crosses-us-on-66-gallons/
http://www.hybridcars.com/audi-tdi-crosses-us-on-66-gallons/#commentsThu, 12 Sep 2013 09:55:26 +0000http://www.hybridcars.com/?p=70641The three Audi TDI clean diesel models completing Audi’s “Truth in 48” cross-country efficiency drive far exceeded their federally published fuel economy ratings. Covering more than 2,850 miles between Southern California and New York, the best team managed an average of 43.561 mpg. The challenge taken on by eight drivers over the last weekend involved […]

Covering more than 2,850 miles between Southern California and New York, the best team managed an average of 43.561 mpg.

The challenge taken on by eight drivers over the last weekend involved a non-stop drive from Audi Pacific in Torrance, Calif. to Audi Manhattan in New York City.

From beginning to end, the drivers could stop no more than four times to fill up with clean diesel fuel provided by Shell Oil Co. They had to reach their destination within 48 hours, traveling at normal highway speeds in the newest Audi TDI models – the 2014 Audi A6 TDI, 2014 Audi A7 TDI and 2014 Audi Q5 TDI.

“Crossing the United States in fewer than 48 hours is a hurdle few have ever contemplated let alone completed,” said Wayne Gerdes, high-mileage driving experts and owner of CleanMPG.com. “To complete that journey while also beating an automobile’s EPA highway fuel economy rating seemed even more impossible.”

The driving teams made up of other hypermilers and journalists split into a team driving the Audi A6 TDI and a team for the Audi A7 TDI. A third vehicle, an Audi Q5 TDI, served as a support vehicle carrying spare tires, supplies and luggage.